


The White Violin

by rosamonds



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-28
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:07:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26164606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosamonds/pseuds/rosamonds
Summary: Vanya, suffering from amnesia, finds a white violin in a pawn shop.
Relationships: Allison Hargreeves & Vanya Hargreeves, Klaus Hargreeves & Vanya Hargreeves, Vanya Hargreeves & The Hargreeves
Comments: 4
Kudos: 105





	The White Violin

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a quick oneshot I had knocking about in my head, not sure how the scenes fit in to canon but here it is!

“Is that everything?” Vanya asked, shifting her grip on the five shopping bags she was trying not to drop. Sissy stopped to look at her list.  
“I think so!” She said brightly but Vanya wasn’t listening. She had dropped the shopping and was looking spellbound at the display window of the pawn shop.  
“Vanya?” Sissy moved to stand next to her, trying to see what she was looking at. Like most pawn shop windows it was cluttered, old books with fraying covers and family jewellery balancing haphazardly on ornate tables, and in the centre, placed precariously on a glass cabinet, was a white violin.  
“The scars on your fingers,” Sissy said softly, “do you think?”  
When Vanya turned to look at her her eyes were big and filling with tears, “do you mind if we go in? I just-“  
“Of course!” Sissy urged her in, picking up the dropped bags as she followed Vanya into the shop. 

The owner handed Vanya the violin and bow and she held it reverently, like if she held it too tight it would break.  
“White is an unusual colour for a violin, isn’t it?” She asked softly.  
“About as unusual as the fella who sold it to me,” the shopkeeper chuckled, “he was wearing the funniest clothes and kept talking to himself, like he was having an argument about whether or not he should sell it. It’s been three years and I still remember him clear as day.”  
“Three years?” Vanya asked, “why hasn’t anyone bought it?”  
“No one has shown any interest until you. Except a big guy, real big, he stood outside and stared at it for a long time, I asked if he wanted it but when he heard the price he said he couldn’t afford it. Seemed real affected by it.”  
Vanya nodded and put the violin to her chin, she shut her eyes as she put the bow to the strings, her heart was pounding but she had never felt so calm. She began to play. 

A street over, Allison stopped in her tracks at the sound of the opening notes of the phantom of the opera played on a violin. She put a hand out to steady herself on Raymond, who turned to her, concerned, “Allison,” he said, “are you-” but she held a finger to her lips and shut her eyes. 

The air inside the shop changed as Vanya played, like everything was coming alive. Sissy couldn’t take her eyes off Vanya. She was transformed, she didn’t look lost or sad, as Sissy often saw her when she thought no one could see, she looked peaceful, and powerful, and seemed almost to glow, but Sissy was sure that was just a trick of the light. 

When the piece finished, Allison had tears in her eyes.  
“Allison,” Raymond squeezed her hand, “what is it?”  
Allison shook her head, speechless for a moment, “My sister,” she managed finally, “she used to play exactly like that. It was her favourite piece. I used to sit outside her room and listen to her play it over and over.” Raymond looked as his wife in surprise, this was the first information about her family that she had offered without being asked. “I didn’t know you had a sister,” he said, and then, tentatively, “what- why don’t you talk about your family?  
Allison wiped her tears, “oh, you know,” she said, “we had a… falling out a while ago, they’re so dramatic,” she laughed regretfully to herself, like making an inside joke only she understood, “everything’s the end of the world with them.”

Vanya handed the violin back to the shopkeeper, “I can’t afford it either,” she said, “but thank you, for letting me play.”  
“I feel half inclined to give it to you for free,” the shopkeeper said, still a little dazed from her performance.  
“No please,” Vanya said, she turned to Sissy, “anyway we should go, we told Harlan we would only be a little while.” She took the bags from Sissy, “thank you,” she said again to the shopkeeper, turning to leave. Sissy followed her out. 

“Vanya?” Sissy asked on the drive home, taking her eyes off the road to shoot a concerned glance at Vanya, who had been quiet since they left the pawn shop. “are you alright?”  
“Fine,” Vanya forced a smile, “I thought maybe it would bring memories back but..” she shook her head sadly, “when I played all I saw was white light.”  
“Well, you know one more thing about yourself than you did before.” Sissy said gently.  
“Yeah,” Vanya agreed, “I didn’t even have to think about it, it’s like my body just knew what to do. It sounds crazy but it was like the violin recognised me.”  
“Maybe it was a magic violin, sure sounded like it,” Sissy joked and Vanya smiled, not convinced that it wasn’t. 

Stumbling back from the catastrophic meeting with Reginald, Klaus stopped dead outside the pawn shop. There in the window, was Vanya’s violin. In the same place it had been put three years ago when he sold it. He put his hand into his pockets, he could afford to buy it back now. He pushed open the door, the shopkeeper looked up, “I’m closing.” He said gruffly.  
“I’d like to buy the violin, please.” Klaus responded as if he hadn’t heard. “Here,” he tipped his pockets out onto the counter, “is that enough?” The shopkeeper sighed and started counting out the money, then he went to the shop window and handed Klaus the instrument. “It’s been hanging there long enough.” He said.  
“Thanks,” Klaus said, “it’s my sister’s. I thought she was dead but turns out she’s just got amnesia and is in love with a housewife on a farm.”  
The shopkeeper nodded, unfazed, “it’s a strange world.” Klaus let out a short laugh,  
“Sure is, my friend.” As he left he turned to Ben, “see, I told you it would be fine.” Ben rolled his eyes, “You got lucky.”

When Vanya opened her eyes that morning, the morning after the assassination of the president, the morning after she hadn't ended the world a second time, she knew who she was. All the pain and hurt of her childhood was back, nestled into her chest like a small animal that moved and stretched and followed her every move as she got ready for the day. She could hear her siblings, some of them anyway, bickering downstairs. When she went out on to the landing she didn’t announce herself at first, she was good at not being noticed. She watched Allison smiling with her arms crossed watching Diego and Luther argue heatedly about something inconsequential while Five tried to get them to listen to what the real problem was, and she felt a different pain in her chest, not like the small animal digging its claws in, but like her heart couldn’t contain all the love she had for them. “Good Morning,” she said finally.  
“Vanya!” Allison said brightly, “how are you feeling?”  
“You know,” Vanya shrugged, “still adjusting to knowing who I am again.” Allison pulled her in for a hug and Vanya held on tight, this was a habit they should get into, she thought, to make up for all the lost hugs of their childhood. “Vanya,” Klaus said behind her, he sounded hoarse, dejected somehow. She turned to look at him, and he held something out to her. Vanya recoiled when she saw what it was. Her violin, the white violin from her amnesia induced dreams, the white violin from the pawn shop, the white violin that caused the end of the world. Vanya shook her head and back away, “I don’t think- it’s not a good idea for me to- what if I?” She turned to the rest of her siblings, Diego had set his jaw, Five arched an eyebrow, Luther made a face like a wounded puppy seeing the thing that harmed it. Vanya felt Allison’s hand on her arm. “We trust you.” The others nodded unconvincingly. Vanya took the violin from Klaus with trembling fingers, “thanks,” she whispered. She didn’t want to play it, it would take her some time until she felt ready again, but holding it felt nice, like reconnecting with an old friend. The White Violin, she thought to herself, not a bad superhero name.


End file.
